US Open Hole 13 Day 1
John TaylorJT's perspectives on the activities at Hole 13 on day one of the 2012 US Open.
Finally, the 2012 US Open begins at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. Yes, the course is in San Francisco in the southwest corner of the city bordered to the north by Harding Park Golf Course, and to the south by San Francisco Golf Club and Lake Merced Golf Club. They're classic Northern California courses that rely on terrain to provide shotmaking challenges that can humble the best players in golf. Olympic will do that this week.
We've written about Hole 13 and some players grumbled about it after being beaten up in the practice rounds, but today's play showed that shotmaking skill was needed. We saw several birdies and plenty of pars. We saw bogeys that came from short missed putts, we saw the occasional double bogey, and a triple bogey -- all in the morning round. Good reads on the green were fairly rewarded. The speed of the green was reasonable.
We saw brilliant approach shots that rolled to within a few feet of the hole, we saw over-cooked draw shots that sent balls to the leftside hazard, and we saw a couple of balls get trapped in the thick network of branches in the tall trees that narrow the approach to the green. In essence, we saw a US Open par 3 that stands as a test of skill. The USGA is no stranger to layouts like this. They thrive on them. They help create them.
From the opening shots on Hole 13 we could tell the putting surface had been softened. The USGA can use a combination of extra watering, less rolling, and less mowing to alter the playability of a green in a matter of hours. It's clear they paid attention to how many balls rolled next to the leftside hazard and took steps to limit the terrain's punishment to mishits like pulls, hooks and overly strong draws.
The hole location was in the back left quadrant of the green directly in line with the narrow opening to the green between the leftside bunker and the front bunker. It tempts players to hit straight at the hole, and many of them did exactly that. And many were successful. The other landing target that worked was the right front quadrant with the slightly elevated fringe that directs the roll of the ball to the center back.
There were lots of second putts within six feet of the hole, and most of them required another putt for the ball to find the hole. Most of the reads had the ball tracking on the high side. Reading the slope of the green was surprisingly difficult. We still think Hole 13 will be one of the key difference makers needed to win here.
The media was out in force for the Open. At Hole 13 alone, we saw a full-sized broadcast TV camera in the tower overlooking the green and fairway, and a second full-sized camera aimed at the green. Behind the tee a satellite TV camera was aimed up the fairway to the slightly elevated green. At each side of the tee were shotgun microphones to pick up the sound of the ball contacting the club face. Four more shotgun mics were placed around the green to pick up the sound of the putts.
Roving media staff carried high-end video cameras and more shotgun mics on a trek through Hole 13 for every group that had a "rock star" golfer, and many from countries following their favorite sons. Players like Tiger, Ryo, and Rory among others have their every move on the golf course recorded for broadcast.
And let's not forget photographers. The number of high-end digital cameras acting as counterweights to monster telephoto lenses that were carried through Hole 13 was staggering. It was common to see photographers carrying these behemoths on a monopod support or a folded tripod, and one of two more digital cameras with exotic lenses hanging from their belts. The cameras were for stills, continuous still shooting, and for short HD videos at high resolution with soft-focus backgrounds.
USGA rules committee members wandered through as well. Monitoring play, checking on the effects of the course layout, carefully identifying obstructions and outlining drop zones, and making rules decisions as needed. Turf specialists appeared to monitor the playability conditions at every location that might affect play. And more officials checked on both player safety and fan safety.
And finally volunteers on each hole serving as marshals to help ensure that golf can be played efficiently with a minimum of interruptions. The Olympic Club is to be congratulated for its support of the SF bay area golfing community by providing opportunities for the members of local golf clubs to volunteer as marshals and serve in other capacities in support of the tournament. It's the spirit of community among golfers that makes this sport so special. Dedicated golfers everywhere know what I mean.
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